Hello, all! I am SkepticalStudentSynner, as I'm sure you've figured out...I'm new here, as I'm sure you've also figured out...Boy, I am just FULL of the obvious today.

Anyway, I'm here to engage in conversation. REAL conversation. I'm a third-year college student majoring in anthropology. As it turns out, I am not a very "good" anthropological thinker, nor am I really a "good" college student--personality-wise, that is (I'm perfectly healthy academically, thank you very much ). I'm questioning everything I thought/"knew" to be true, and while it seems like college would be a great place to do that, it isn't when you're surrounded by A) people who don't care and just want to pass class or B) incessant relativists. I know I might get backlash for saying this (yes, I'm bringing up a "hot topic" in an INTRODUCTION THREAD), but I don't think all cultures/ways of life are worthy of equal respect (e.g. is it EVER OK to mutilate someone against their will, culturally relevant or not?). I think we need to call out unjust behaviors and violations of universal human rights no matter what the cultural circumstances. It's one thing to study other cultures engaging in these behaviors. It's quite another to support them.

You think anyone gets this in college, or at least in my college? No. It's all hugs and butterflies with other students. Or just plain apathy. I don't want to be this cynical about people, but CRIPES, it's frustrating. So...I hope to find people I can intelligently argue with here (or just intelligently converse with, y'know). Not just about that topic, either. About anything. Hard to hold an intelligent conversation at all with many of the people I'm acquainted with.

Also, the "Synner" in my name means "person with synesthesia," in case anyone's wondering. I have both that and Asperger's (soon to be lumped in with all of ASD). Pretty outspoken about the mentally disabled and their fates, too, but that's another story...

“I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man’s reasoning powers are not above the monkey’s.”~Mark Twain
“Ocean: A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man - who has no gills.”~ Ambrose Bierce